Archives and Libraries The National Archives This extensive site offers information and guidance for family history research. There is an online catalogue and DocumentsOnline offers access to indexes (free) and digitised images (for a fee) to many series of records held. See Military, Online Databases and Wills for details.
Access2Archives (A2A).
The A2A database contains catalogues describing archives held
throughout England dating from the 900s to the present day. It
currently has 10+ million catalogue entries from 414 record offices and
other repositories.
The British Library collections include manuscripts, maps, music, newspapers, patents, trademarks and designs plus much more.
The National Archives, Manorial Documents Register (MDR)
identifies the location of manorial records. The MDR is online
for Wales, the Isle of Wight, Hampshire, Norfolk, Surrey,
Middlesex, Yorkshire, Cumberland, Westmorland and
Lancashire (north).
Archives Hub. A national gateway to descriptions of archives in UK universities and colleges.
Census Records The National Archives Domesday Book Online records the great survey of England made by order of
William the Conqueror 1085-1086. This first census of England is
searchable by place name, people or folio reference. Each Domesday
entry contains a modern place name, a modern county and a Domesday
place name as it would have been spelt in the 11th century.
FamilySearch offers free access to 1880 United States, 1881 British Isles and 1881 Canadian censuses.
FreeCen.
This ongoing project aims to provide a free online database of UK
census returns 1841-1891. Data is being progressively added as it
becomes available. Many counties in England and Scotland have been
completed and are online. Check for your counties of interest on a
regular basis.
Cornwell Online Census Project.
This project is part of the FreeCen project. The current online status
is 1841, 1851, 1861 and 1891 censuses complete with the 1871 and 1881
ongoing.
Ancestry.co.uk
UK records include 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 census
for England, Scotland and Wales. The records are fully indexed with a
free surname search. A variety of subscription options offer access to
the digitised copies of the original records. Note that only
transcriptions are available for Scotland not digitised copies of the
original record.
1901 Census for England and Wales.
A free index search is available and a fee (minimum charge £5) applies
for access to more detailed information and the original images. The
free name search lists name, age, where born, administrative county,
civil parish and occupation.
British Origins.
The 1841 and 1861 census, index and digital images are available for
England and Wales. The 1871 census is currently available for most
counties. There is a free surname search and a fee applies for full
access. New data is being added on a regular basis.
Find My Past
offers access to the 1841, 1861, 1871, 1881 and 1891 census of
England & Wales. The records are fully indexed with a free surname
and address search. A variety of subscription options offer access to digitised copies of the original records.
The Genealogist
offers indexes and transcripts for the 1841, 1851, 1861 1871,
1891 and 1901 censuses for counties in England and Wales. Online
images of the original record are also available. There is a range
of subscription options.
Gateway and Information Sites GENUKI UK and Ireland Genealogy.
This vast genealogical collection details societies,
archives, libraries, and surname sites. There is access
to directories, parish, cemetery and census records plus much
more. There is a comprehensive site search engine. This site is a
must for UK research.
BritishIslesGenWeb Project has
country websites available for the Caribbean Islands,Channel
Islands, England, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Ireland, Isle of Man,
Northern Ireland, Scotland, St Helena and Wales.
Ancestor-search.info. This
well designed gateway site aims to provide all the basic links for
those tracing their English and Welsh ancestors. It describes the main
sources of information in clear understandable terms. There are
lots of useful hints and tips. A great site for those new to family
history research or those planning a research visit to England or Wales.
National Archives (UK). Palaeography: Reading Old Handwriting 1500-1800. A practical online tutorial to learn to read the handwriting found in documents written in English (1500-1800).
Moving Here
provides free online access to resources which record and illustrate
the migration of the Caribbean, Irish, Jewish and South Asian
communities to England over the past two centuries.
FamilySearch. Click on Search then Research Helps then the letter E for access to a series of excellent guides for research in England.
RootsChat.com
is an easy to use messaging forum for those
researching family or local history. The focus is on Ireland
and the British Isles.
The National Archives Catalogue has descriptions to Records of Naturalisation (1844-1935) available. Both surname and given name can be
entered but should be separated by AND. Type HO (Home Office) as the
department/series code. A search returns name, previous nationality,
the town they came from and naturalisation details. Aliases and
anglicised names are also catalogued.
Office of Public Sector Information - Chronological Tables of Local and of Private Acts.
These list the Acts of the Parliaments of the United Kingdom. The Local
Acts table covers 1797-2006. The Private and Personal Acts table covers
1539-2006 and includes those seeking naturalisations, divorces and name
changes plus details of estate sales. A name search is available.
Victoria County History (VCH) site details this English local history publishing project. There are helpful hints for researching local history. VCH Online provides status information and links to available online material for the counties of England.
The Online House Detective.
This site has been designed for those interested in tracing the history
of a house. There is a comprehensive list, with examples, of the types
of records used to research a property.
LookupUK.com. A resource centre for finding lost friends or relatives in the UK.
Genes Reunited. This
site offers a variety of services including free hosting for family
trees and free access to the information contributed by others.
Registration is required and fees apply for the contact details of a
contributing researcher and for use of the online census and BDM
databases.
Census Records